A different kind of “donner” was
heard at the Springbrook Inn Bed and Breakfast the morning of July
28th, 2007. That was the day that Tina was being presented to the
public in the small, quiet town of Niota, Tennessee. Officially
named Jenson Diplomat Tina, she is still a teenager in horse
years. Tina is only 3 years old and already weighs 1,600 pounds, but
that weight is evident when she gallops by – the ground literally
shakes, and her steps rumble like thunder.

Tina is
beginning to put on muscle and weight on her back as she grows, and
according toCharlie Creams,
supplements distributor from Oakridge, Tennessee, “to insure proper
development we are currently giving her naturally chelated trace
minerals."

Tina could grow into world's
largest horse of all time.

“She measures … 20 hands
tall,”., announced Les Moss, Athens, Tennessee veterinarian as
he used a tape measure and level to get an accurate height at
the workhorse’s withers. That’s 81 inches at the withers
(an equestrian term for the top of the shoulder), and the
current ‘unofficial’ Guinness Book World Record. "She still
has at least two years of growth and could reach 21 hands.
That's 7 feet, or 84 inches, measured at the withers,” Jim
Williams, one of her owners, said. The current
Guinness World
Record holder for tallest living horse is a Belgian draft horse
named Radar who lives in Texas. According to his
Web site, he is 19 hands, 3 1/2 inches tall, or 79 1/2
inches…Both her parents were over 19 hands tall, according to
Clark Jenson from Blair, Nebraska, Tina's original breeder and
the owner of her father.

Mr. and Mrs. Williams never
thought Tina would grow to her present stature. They wanted to
match her to Dolly, another English shire they own, to create a
pulling team. But the filly began to grow and grow and grow, and
now Dolly, at 64 inches and 2,400 pounds, looks small compared
to her. “Tina could eventually weigh as much as 3,500 pounds,”
Marge Williams said. A normal stall in their barn is
12-feet-by-12-feet. “But Tina cannot turn around in that space,
so we built her a stall that is 12-feet-by-24-feet,” Marge went
on to say.

English shire horses were
primarily used as pulling horses in England, and have the
reputation of being the largest horse breed even surpassing
Clydesdales. Notwithstanding with their enormous size, they are
"people pleasers" and very gentle. Tina really is a gentle
giant. She does not realize how big she is. She will follow
her handle, Jessica Barnette around like a small puppy. When
asked what they intend to do with Tina, everyone answered they
are just going to love her and keep her as happy as they can,
they have no intentions of selling her at this time. Her life
expectancy is about 25 years.

The Williamses are originally
from Ocala, Florida. At their present home, besides the bed and
breakfast where visitors and also have a place to stable their
animals, likewise have a riding academy for children and adults
with an experienced instructor. Other horses at the farm
include a thoroughbred, a paint, and others.

Tina eats a lot!

Tina eats 40-60 lbs of hay, 20 lbs
of grain, and 25 gallons of water a day. As a reward for her good
behavior during her measuring covered by the media, a 25 pound bag
of carrots was brought out. She eats normally eats at least 5
pounds of carrots a week, anyway.